Friday, July 30, 2010

Diary of a knitter on vacation...

Greetings, and Dear Cynthia,

We spent the past week in DC (Door County) on Wisconsin's peninsula...which is north and east of the city of Green Bay on this map:

Sunday, July 25, 12:00pm: Decide to start a new shawl as a "vacation project" and see how far I can get on it during the relaxing week away from home; envision that it will *almost be completed* by the time I return home on Friday.

12:30pm: Begin knitting Ene's Scarf, because I've always wanted to knit a triangular shawl which begins at the outside edges (longest rows) and works its way toward the middle (shortest rows), and this will be perfect vacation knitting.

2:30pm, during stop in Ripon WI: Decide that we will get our Christmas card photo at some point during this vacation. Manage to take "self portrait" on park swing (I hold camera at arms length "backwards" and the four of us huddle together to try to all fit into the picture) which appears to have all four of us captured in it and might be cute for our Christmas cards. Upon closer examination, realize that ten year old was sticking his tongue out in the photo. Consider that the week is just beginning, and there will be many other photo opportunities.

6:00pm, still en route to DC: Start to question whether or not the lace on my Ene's Scarf is "popping" the way it should; realize that I did not bring any needles which are larger diameter to fix the problem and so continue knitting with the existing needles hoping that the holes will "pop" more after I've knit a few more rows.

Realize this is a futile proposition and set Ene's Scarf aside to re-start after I get home in a week. Fortunately I brought along enough sock yarn to keep me going...

Monday, July 26, 4:30am: Awaken via my kids, who decided that I would enjoy driving to the other side of the peninsula to watch the sun rise over Lake Michigan on this day, my birthday. Get up and quickly dress without showering; realize that I will have bad hair all day as a result of no morning grooming, and determine that Christmas card photo-op probably will not occur today. Enjoy the sunrise with my family -- really lovely.

Receive scarf from ten year old which he knit using a loom and which is my birthday present -- also really lovely:

6:30am: Since we're already up anyway, drive to Peninsula State Park and bike 9.6 miles. Note that I am the only one in our party of four having a crate on my bike rack, so my *bike* is very popular when it is snack time, or when a map is required, or when clothing is doffed and cannot be carried by youngster while riding on his bike:

9:00am: Enjoy watching my two boys skip stones into the Green Bay of Lake Michigan. Wonder how a ten year old can skip a stone six or seven times and a 46 year old can only manage to throw it into the water so that it disappears on the first "plop."

Spend the afternoon swimming in a pool, and then playing at the beach. Have a nice dinner at Shipwrecked - a brewery/restaurant a few blocks from where we are staying. Best birthday ever!

Tuesday, July 27: Get up and run four miles, because that is what my new 10K training program says I must do on Tuesdays. Take shower, blow dry hair. Don baseball cap and spend the morning at a farm. Spend afternoon on another beach; hike and get caught in the rain. No Christmas card photo-ops today because hair is a mess. Plan to make s'mores and have "family movie night" in hotel room in the evening. Start setting out s'mores ingredients and wonder what can be used for marshmallow skewers. Note that weather is again beginning to look ominous. Place marshmallows on forks and roast over electric stove:

Wednesday, July 28: Get up and run three miles. Shower, and realize that styling my hair in the morning is no match for my bike helmet, baseball cap, and wind, so decide to stop blow-drying hair. Throw head-band on wet hair and apply sunscreen for another day of biking at a "wilderness" state park. Get attacked by mosquitoes; make futile attempt to deter them by spraying on two layers of bug repellant. Thoroughly enjoy early evening showing of "Life on the Mississippi" (with live music) at American Folklore Theater in the woods.

Thursday, July 29: Get up and run four miles. Figure out that there is no shampoo in the middle of taking a shower, so use bar soap to clean hair instead. Reflect that it doesn't really matter, anyway, because hair is low on priority scale when playing in nature. Return to Peninsula State Park and hike trail having rating of "difficult"; be amazed that I was able to contain my fear of heights, and be equally amazed that my kids having legs much shorter than mine were able to navigate the rocky cliff-side paths carefully and safely:

8:00pm: Attend amazing Big Band program at Birch Creek Music Performance Center featuring music instructors from all over the country playing awesome big band tunes together -- So awesome, and great fun!

Friday, July 30: Drive home from Door County, knitting most of the way. Analyze knitting progress for the week and figure out that I managed to knit roughly half of one sock in the past five days. I know -- WOW...

Feel fortunate for having had a nice vacation with lots of fun diversions which aren't so accessible at home. Unpack, get laundry started, and get ready to relax with one of my souvenirs -- A Cherry Wheat Ale from Shipwrecked. They put cherries in everything in Door County...